Get Ready for June 16, 2025: Philippines Public Schools Kick Off a New School Year with Hope and Unity

With the rainy season coming in, a new excitement is building up throughout the Philippines. Public schools will open their doors wide on June 16, 2025, to receive millions of learners, teachers, and parents to begin School Year (SY) 2025–2026. This brings back the pre-pandemic June-to-March calendar, a move advocated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. so that it can be in tune with the nation’s rhythm. Teachers planning their lessons, parents packing school bags, and learners filled with excitement—this is a new school year filled with new starts, reforms, and a collective responsibility towards education. Well, what are we in store for? With the issuances and memoranda of the Department of Education (DepEd), and the moving words of Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

The move to begin SY 20252026 on June 16 is not simply a matter of dates but of taking back a calendar that is friendly to Philippine weather and culture. In DepEd Order No. 12, series of 2025, signed by Secretary Angara, it says, “SY 2025–2026 shall begin on Monday, June 16, 2025, and shall close on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.” This is an order dated April 15, 2025, that guaranteed a systematic 197 class days, including the end-of-school-year rites, and accommodation to unanticipated changes.

This move is like a homecoming to parents such as Ana, a Bulacan mother of two. My children would begin school in August, but June seems correct. “It is that time our society prepares to learn, despite the rains,” she says. Secretary Angara shares the same sentiment as he reminds us that the June 16 opening will be helpful to the learners so that they will not have learning losses due to the rainy season during the Brigada Eskwela kickoff in Malolos, Bulacan. His words help us remember that this calendar adjustment is not purely logistical, but rather, involves keeping kids interested at the most opportune time.

The week before June 16 will see schools crowded with the colorful Brigada Eskwela spirit before the first bell sounds. This is an annual program by DepEd that mobilizes teachers, parents, and volunteers to clean up, repair, and paint classrooms. Through a June 4, 2025, press release, DepEd expedited more volunteers, citing the difference in Oranbo Elementary School, where Principal Dr. Victor M. Jave said that he felt “hope” due to the private partners.

Mr. Reyes, a Grade 5 teacher in Pasig, is one of the teachers who consider Brigada Eskwela heartwarming. The fact that parents and students come to paint walls or repair desks makes him feel that they are all in the same boat. According to DepEd, this initiative will make schools safe and friendly, requiring health checks on learners during Brigada Eskwela and within three weeks after the opening of classes. These tests, which include vision, hearing, and immunization status, demonstrate the concern that DepEd has on the condition of every child.

The clue is with the parents! Regardless of whether you are holding a paintbrush or a supply organizational task, your participation helps establish a tone of support during the school year. Students, your enthusiasm is what makes this happen—your classroom is being ready especially for you.