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Gold Coast and Northern Rivers School Holidays for 2023

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Confused about school start and finish dates? Here’s our comprehensive list of the Northern Rivers and Gold Coast school holidays for 2023.

This list will cover school holidays for primary and secondary schools on the Gold Coast and then in the Northern Rivers region. Please note that Catholic and Independent schools usually have slightly shorter terms than State schools. In term four, primary schools will be at school for longer than high schools. Hopefully, you’ll be able to plan plenty of great activities around these dates and this post will help you to get organised!

How to turn 20 days of annual leave into 8 family holidays!

Gold Coast school terms 2023

Term 1Monday 23 January – Friday 31 March10 weeks
Term 2Monday 17 April – Friday 23 June10 weeks
Term 3Monday 10 July – Friday 15 September10 weeks
Term 4Tuesday 3 October – Friday 8 December11 weeks

Gold Coast staff professional days (student-free days)

Term 1Thursday 19 January, 
Friday 20 January
2 days
Term 2Thursday 13 April, 
Friday 14 April
2 days
Term 3Friday 1 September1 day

Gold Coast early finishing dates for years 10, 11 and 12

Year 12 finishes on Friday 17 November 2023 and years 10 and 11 finish on Friday 24 November. See more here.

Northern Rivers school terms

Specific term start and end dates vary school-to-school across government and non-government schools.  For example, students may start on a different date to teachers. Check with your school for specific dates.

Term 1Friday 27 January to Thursday 6 April 
Term 2Monday 24 April to Friday 30 June 
Term 3Monday 17 July to Friday 22 September 
Term 4Monday 9 October to Tuesday 19 December 

Northern Rivers staff professional days (student-free days)

Historically, these days occur at the beginning of terms 1, 2 and 3 plus the last two days of term 4. Please check with your individual school and the NSW education website for more precise information.

Northern Rivers early finishing dates for year 12

HSC exams for year 12 students commence in mid-October and end in mid-November. Your school will have an updated timetable of exams closer to term four.

Northern Rivers and Gold Coast school holidays

Your school’s homepage, intranet or parent-communication portal will update you as to any up-to-the-minute changes to the above information.

Wondering what to do with the kids this school holiday? Check out our list.

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Janine Mergler

Janine Mergler is a veteran Queensland teacher, graduating from QUT with a BEd majoring in Social Sciences. After many years in the classroom, Janine moved on to academia. She has proudly trained new generations of teachers in her role as a lecturer at Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Education. She has also worked in the Queensland Government as an education specialist, developing education resources and delivering community awareness programs to help families conserve water. Currently she is the owner and editor of Families Magazine, a publication specifically targeted at parents who value a quality education for children.  Janine leads a team of professionals who write about family lifestyle, early childhood, schools and education information and family-friendly events.

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