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December School Holidays 2025: Full list of state-wise holidays when schools and colleges remain closed

School Holidays in December 2025: The month features significant regional events and celebrations across the country, including the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier in Goa, the Rann Utsav in Gujarat, as well as Christmas and New Year festivities.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 1, 2025 02:46 PM IST

School Holidays December 2025- Schools and colleges likely to remain closed on these dates (Image via Canva)

School Holidays List in December 2025: The month of December marks a transition point in India’s seasonal and academic calendar. While the peak of the major pan-Indian festive season has typically passed, the month features significant regional events and celebrations across the country, including the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier in Goa, the Rann Utsav in Gujarat, as well as Christmas and New Year festivities.

Academically, December is an important time, often marking the season for term-end examinations in schools, and for senior classes, the beginning of pre-board exam season.

With the winter season now setting in across many parts of the country, here is an overview of when schools, colleges, and other educational institutes typically observe their scheduled winter breaks and closures in the month of December.

School Holidays December 2025: List of days schools likely to remain closed

Date	Day	Festival / Holiday	Specific State
December 20 to 31, 2025	Saturday to Wednesday	Winter break / school vacation	Uttar Pradesh
December 23 to Jan 1, 2026	Tuesday to Thursday	Winter break (as per schedules of select schools including PM Shri Schools)	Several states
December 23 onwards	Tuesday onwards	Winter/Christmas vacation	Madhya Pradesh
December 24	Wednesday	Christmas Eve (holiday in select schools)	Regional
December 25	Thursday	Christmas Day	All states
December 31	Wednesday	Year-end / winter break conclusion	Several states

Key holidays for schools across this month

In Uttar Pradesh, schools are scheduled to remain shut from December 20 to December 31, forming the main winter break for students. This period typically provides around 10–12 days of vacation, covering both Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Similarly, in states such as Madhya Pradesh, many government, private, and centrally affiliated schools begin their winter or Christmas break from December 23 or 24, extending until December 31 or, in some cases, the first week of January.

Christmas Eve on December 24 is not a universal holiday but is often observed in regions with Christian-majority populations or in schools that follow specific cultural calendars. This softer closure then leads into December 25, Christmas Day, which is a national holiday across all educational institutions in the country.

Nagaland hosts the Hornbill Festival in the first week of December, drawing significant participation from schools through cultural showcases and educational visits. Goa marks the Feast of St. Francis Xavier in early December, a major religious observance that can lead to localised school holidays. In Gujarat, the Rann Utsav continues through the month, prompting academic excursions but not typically resulting in official closures.

Schools across different boards — state, CBSE, CISCE and minority institutions — may follow slightly different schedules, especially around Christmas Eve. Parents and students should therefore refer to school-specific circulars for exact closure periods.