For the fifth consecutive school year, Ukrainian children are celebrating the last bell during a war, when normal school life depends on air raids, shelling, the state of shelters and the ability to hold classes without interruption. Some students are studying remotely or in a mixed format, many schools have been damaged or destroyed, and in front-line communities, the educational process often relies on the work of teachers, online communication and the willingness to quickly change plans. Therefore, the end of the 2025/2026 school year in Ukraine will have a discreet and flexible format, in which the safety of children, the implementation of educational programs and the ability to calmly transition to the summer period remain the main things.
Where and when will the last bell ring
In 2026, the last bell in most Ukrainian schools is scheduled for May 29. The school year officially lasts until June 30, but schools have the right to independently determine the actual end date of classes, taking into account the security situation, the implementation of educational programs and local conditions.
This approach gives educational institutions the opportunity to adjust the schedule to the realities of wartime. In frontline, border and large industrial cities, the decision on the format of the holiday depends on the risk of shelling, the availability of shelters, the number of students in the school and the ability to quickly transfer children to a safe place during an air raid.
In Kyiv, the last bell is scheduled for May 29, and in June schools will be able to organize additional classes, consultations and trainings.
In Kharkiv, Dnipro, Cherkasy, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv, the end of classes is also expected on May 29.
In Odessa, the holiday is planned to be held on May 29, mainly for graduating students.
In Rivne, the last bell should ring on May 29, and from June 1, day camps for children will start operating at schools.
In Lutsk, the date will be determined depending on the academic schedule of a particular school: institutions with a five-day week will end classes on May 29, and with a six-day week – on May 30.
In Kropyvnytskyi, most schools are focused on May 29, although some institutions will hold the Last Bell on May 22, 28 or 30, as well as on June 1, 2 or 5.
In Lviv, most schools will end classes by June 5.
In Zhytomyr, the last bell is recommended to be held on June 6, and from June 8 to 25, day camps for children will operate at lyceums.
The different deadlines for the end of the school year are associated with flexible rules that allow schools to independently determine the actual day of the end of classes. The decision is influenced by the implementation of the educational program, the position of the pedagogical council, the security situation in the community, and the peculiarities of the organization of education. Parents should check the exact date with their school, since even within the same city, schedules may not coincide.
What will be the format of the holiday?
Due to martial law, schools are mostly abandoning large school-wide lines, which previously gathered hundreds of children, parents, and teachers in the yards. In many communities, the offline format will be left primarily for graduates of 9th and 11th grades, for whom the end of the school year is of particular importance.
For junior and middle grades, short meetings in classes, online lines, or a mixed format will be more often chosen. In the event of an air raid, the celebrations must be interrupted, and all participants must go to shelters, so schools are preparing scenarios without long speeches, mass gatherings, and complex organization.
June will remain a working period in many schools. It will be used for consultations, additional classes, overcoming educational losses, excursions, individual work with students and organizational completion of the school year.
For eleventh graders, June will be associated with the preparation and completion of the national multi-subject test, on which admission to higher education institutions depends. Graduates will receive documents on complete secondary education gradually over the course of a month.
For ninth graders, the end of the year should be calmer, since in 2026 they will be exempted from the state final certification. Some students will continue their studies in high school after receiving the documents, while others will apply to colleges or vocational education institutions.
In 2026, the school holiday retains its familiar name, but its content has become much more restrained. For children, teachers, and parents, the end of the school year marks the culmination of a difficult period in which learning often depended not only on the class schedule, but also on safety, the functioning of shelters, stable communication, and the ability to continue education despite the war.
