School closed days Data Services
This page provides information about the School Closed Days data collection introduced in February 2026.
Page contents:
Why is the Ministry collecting this data?
We collect information from each school’s calendar which allows us to understand when a school is closed during term time.
We use this information to improve the quality of attendance data which ensures an accurate and reliable picture of nationwide attendance.
We also use school calendar information to support schools to comply with the Education (school attendance) regulations 2024 and relevant gazette notices.
Further information can be found here.
What data does the Ministry collect?
The School Closed Days data collection collects dates that state, state-integrated and charter schools are closed for a full day during a school term.
The data collection includes:
- school name and school ID number
- school SMS vendor details
- dates of the school closure
- reason for the school closure.
There are 6 possible reasons for closure during term time:
- curriculum and assessment PLD
- discretionary (board-approved)
- additional discretionary (Minister-approved)
- emergency
- strike
- regional anniversary.
The School Closed Days collection does not collect school holiday dates, public holiday dates or half day closures.
The data collection does not collect or include any personal information or identify students.
The data source
Schools send their School Closed Days data to the Ministry via an automated data feed from their student management system (SMS).
The automated feed is triggered whenever a school adds, updates or deletes a closure event in the school calendar function within their SMS. This minimises the burden on schools for providing this data.