The 2026 school year in Argentina will not start uniformly across the country, with several provinces delaying the return to classrooms until early March. Buenos Aires province will begin classes on March 2, followed by the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santa Fe. Authorities attribute the change to reorganization due to national holidays and winter recesses, without affecting the minimum annual instructional load of 190 days.
The start of the 2026 school year in Argentina shows variations by province, according to educational authorities. In Buenos Aires province, classes for initial, primary, secondary, and technical education will begin on Monday, March 2, a date officialized by the General Directorate of Culture and Education on December 25, 2025. Other key dates include the winter recess from July 20 to 31 and the year-end closure on December 22, ensuring a minimum of 190 instructional days.
Provinces such as the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires will start in the first week of March, while Córdoba and Santa Fe also delayed their schedules to align with institutional planning. In contrast, northern and southern jurisdictions will maintain the start in the last week of February. The General Director of Education and Culture of Buenos Aires, Flavia Terigi, stated in an interview with FM La Patriada: "the start of classes in Buenos Aires province is not in doubt" and added: "We have moved from discussing whether classes can start or not due to the state of the buildings to how we are improving conditions for it to function".
Provincial governments explained that the shift responds to the need to reorganize the calendar after defining national holidays and planning winter recesses. In some districts, climatic factors like high temperatures in February influenced the decision. Institutional days and end dates will be adjusted to avoid reductions in the annual instructional load. Additionally, five pedagogical organization days are planned: two in February, one in August, one in December, and one to be defined by district teams.
The delay affects family and work organization, especially in households with working parents, and could extend the tourist season. Each education ministry will publish the official calendars in the coming days.
