What API closes schools in Malaysia? The number that decides
Updated 2 min read
Every haze season the same question gets asked at six in the morning: are schools closed today? The answer turns on one number, though that number is not the final word.
The thresholds
| API | What happens at school |
|---|---|
| 0 – 100 | Everything as normal. Watch pupils with asthma or breathing problems. |
| 101 – 150 | All activity outside the classroom stops, including assemblies and sport. |
| 151 – 180 | Outdoor activity stops. If the reading stays above 150 for three days in a row, schools close. |
| Above 180 | Schools and Ministry institutions in the affected area close, and lessons move to home learning (PdPR). |
Since 2019 the figure most often quoted has been 200: outdoor activity stops above 100, and schools close above 200. On 8 October 2026 the Ministry of Education lowered the closure level. Every Ministry institution in an affected area now closes when the API goes above 180 (from 9 October), or stays above 150 for three days in a row (from 12 October). The Ministry has not said whether the rule stays after the current episode.
It is not an automatic switch. The order comes from the Ministry or the State Education Department for the affected area, though head teachers can close a school without waiting for one.
SemakAPI shows the Department of Environment's official readings. It is not a school closure announcement. Confirm with the Ministry, the State Education Department or the school itself before acting.
Why the next town closed and your school did not
Orders are issued by district, and each district is read by its own monitoring station. Two neighbouring districts can sit fifty points apart in the same hour, especially when the wind turns. Check the station nearest your school rather than the state as a whole.
What to do at each level
- Above 100: stop outdoor activity. Sports training, assemblies and PE on the field should move inside.
- Above 150: pupils with asthma or heart conditions, and preschoolers, should stay indoors all day. Start counting days: three in a row above 150 means schools close.
- Above 180: expect a closure order. Arrange childcare cover in advance rather than waiting for a six a.m. announcement.
- Cloth and surgical masks do not filter fine particles. Only an N95 will, and only if it seals to the face.