The 2027 school year in Malaysia starts on Monday 4 January for every state, and cuti sekolah 2027 falls into four breaks: one week in March, two weeks from late May, one week from late August, and four weeks in December. The Ministry of Education (KPM) announced the 2027 session on 3 October 2026. Schools in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu (Group A) run one day ahead of the rest of the country (Group B), which includes Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Dates below are from the 2027 academic calendar as published in October 2026. Check them against KPM's own circular before you pay for anything you can't change.
The four breaks
| Break | Group A (Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu) | Group B (all other states, incl. Selangor and KL) |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 break | Fri 5 to Sat 13 March | Sat 6 to Sun 14 March |
| Mid-year | Fri 21 May to Sat 5 June | Sat 22 May to Sun 6 June |
| Term 2 break | Fri 27 August to Sat 4 September | Sat 28 August to Sun 5 September |
| End of year | Fri 3 to Fri 31 December | Sat 4 to Fri 31 December |
The school year ends on 2 December for Group A and 3 December for Group B. The 2028 session starts on 3 January 2028.
Dalam Bahasa Malaysia: sesi persekolahan 2027 bermula 4 Januari 2027 untuk semua negeri; cuti penggal 1 bagi Kumpulan B ialah 6 hingga 14 Mac.
Extra days off for festivals
KPM adds school days off around the big festivals, and schools don't have to replace them. For Group B:
- Chinese New Year: 5 February, and 9 to 12 February.
- Hari Raya Haji: 18 and 19 May (17 May is the public holiday in Selangor and KL).
- Wesak: 21 May (20 May is the public holiday).
- Deepavali: 27 and 29 October (28 October is the public holiday).
Group A gets 8 to 11 February for Chinese New Year (Kedah 9 to 11), an extra day on 14 March after Hari Raya Puasa, extra days in May around Hari Raya Haji, and 27 October for Deepavali.
Where the breaks join up with public holidays
This is the part that matters for anyone driving, renting a car or booking an airport run, because these are the weeks when school traffic and festive traffic land on the same roads.
March. Hari Raya Puasa falls on 10 and 11 March, inside the Term 1 break. That makes the week of 6 to 14 March both balik kampung week and school holiday week. Expect heavy traffic out of the Klang Valley on the days before Raya and back into it on the last weekend of the break.
May into June. For Group B, Monday 17 May is Hari Raya Haji, 18 and 19 May are school days off, 20 May is Wesak, 21 May is a school day off, and the mid-year break starts on the 22nd. Families in Selangor and KL can have three weeks off in a row, from 17 May to 6 June. The first weekend of that stretch will be one of the busiest on the expressways all year.
Late August. The Term 2 break covers Merdeka on 31 August, so the long weekend and the school week sit together.
October. Deepavali week gives Group B five days in a row, 27 to 31 October.
December. Four weeks of school holidays, with Christmas in the middle. Travel spreads out more than in March or May, but the weekends around Christmas and New Year are full.
The highway operators publish travel-time advice and expected traffic before each festive period; festive season traffic in Malaysia explains how to use it, and public holidays and long weekends in 2027 has the full holiday list.
What it means if you're renting or booking a driver
- Book early for the March and May weeks. A seven-seat MPV is the car families want in school holidays, and Grandpride has a handful, not dozens.
- Plan mileage for the trip. Every rental includes 120 km a day; a balik kampung run to the north or the east coast needs +100 km a day or unlimited, chosen when you book.
- Leave early. On the first day of a break, being on the expressway before 7 am beats most of the queue.
- For airport runs in these weeks, give yourself more time to reach KLIA. Chauffeur bookings online need two days' notice in any case, so book the airport leg when you book the flights.
Before you plan around these dates
Are the dates final?
They're KPM's announced calendar. KPM has added or moved days at short notice before, for example extra days for a festival, so check the official circular nearer the time.
Do private and international schools follow this?
Many don't. International and private schools set their own term dates, so check with the school.
Which states are Group A?
Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. Every other state and federal territory, including Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, is Group B.
For a holiday road trip, our list of weekend getaways from KL by car is a good place to start, and the MPV list shows the seven-seaters and their calendars.
