Jerusalem, 31 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s education system will open the 2026-2027 school year Tuesday in approximately 28,000 educational institutions nationwide, with approximately 2.6 million students beginning classes, including 180,000 first-graders taking their first steps in school and 143,000 twelfth-graders starting their final year.
The opening follows a summer in which the education system continued operating for more than 1.1 million students. As part of the national summer program, the Education Ministry invested over one billion shekels ($294 million) in educational, academic and social services for kindergartens and schools during summer vacation, through “Summer Plus” and preparatory classes for middle schools.
The ministry also operated informal education programs serving hundreds of thousands of children and youth, aimed at maintaining educational continuity and providing services to students and families throughout the summer.