Private schools may adopt June 16 class start – DepEd

Private schools may adopt the June 16 school year opening for the school year 2025-2026, Department of Education chief Sonny Angara said on Monday. — File photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — Private schools may adopt the June 16 school year opening for the school year (SY) 2025-2026, Department of Education (DepEd) chief Sonny Angara said on Monday.

This order is in line with the old June-to-March school calendar as approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a move welcomed by a teachers’ group as they noted that this would provide relief to students during the hot season.

“Private schools may adopt DepEd’s school calendar,” Angara told INQUIRER.net in a message.

When asked if DepEd will encourage private schools to adopt the June 16 start, Angara said: “It’s up to them.”

SY 2025-2026 will last 197 days and begin on June 16, 2025, and end on March 31, 2026.

READ: DepEd says school year 2025-2026 will start June 16

Private schools can set own start, but…

“They may also set their own start of classes, provided they comply with the School Calendar Law,” Angara continued.

Angara said the law stated that the school year should start on the first Monday of June, but not later than the last day of August.

Under the law, the school year shall consist of not more than 220 class days.

Heat relief cheered

The old school calendar ends in June, which means that pupils attend classes in March and April, the hottest months of the year in the country.

READ: Marcos approves return to old school calendar

ACT Teachers party list is among the groups that pushed for the return to the old school calendar because of this.

“This adjustment is the result of clamor from teachers, students, and parents and advocacy by ACT and other organizations to revert to the old school calendar after experiencing the intense heat of summer school days in the past two school years,” ACT Teachers’ first nominee, Antonio Tinio, told INQUIRER.net.

In 2023, stakeholders began pushing for the return to the old schedule as students and teachers endured punishing heat in classrooms due to seasonal weather aggravated by El Niño.

“Classes will no longer be held during the hottest days of summer,” Tinio added.