UNITED STATES / RankWire.AI / – During the 2025-26 academic year, U.S. public schools imposed a total of 11,982 book bans, according to PEN America. This marks a new yearly peak since the organization began monitoring restrictions in 2021. These bans affected 7,370 individual titles across 114 school districts. The records include over 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators. Among those impacted are Canadian writers Margaret Atwood and Ryan North, as the wave of removals continues to expand.
The novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Atwood remains among the titles involved in school censorship debates, while North’s Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure was listed in PEN America’s index for the first time. More than half of the banned titles are young-adult books, with fiction making up over 80% of the total. The index saw over 4,500 titles appearing for the first time, illustrating the widespread reach of these restrictions.
Texas and Florida lead the national figures, with Texas accounting for over 8,100 bans and Florida recording more than 3,200. PEN America noted that legislation in these states influenced bans in 72% of the districts monitored. During the 2025-26 school year, Texas Senate Bill 13 expanded parental authority over library materials and established statewide standards for content deemed harmful, indecent, profane, or inappropriate for minors.
Conservative groups intensify efforts to influence school curricula
Organizations advocating conservative causes have become key actors in many efforts to challenge or remove school books. Groups such as Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education have promoted removal initiatives across multiple states. PEN America has associated these groups with organized conservative activism surrounding education. Data from 2025 reveal that 92% of reported book challenges originated from pressure groups, government officials, and institutional decision-makers. Meanwhile, individual parents contributed fewer than 3%, challenging claims that the surge is primarily driven by isolated family complaints.
The patterns in the challenged books reveal a clear trend. PEN America reports that titles dealing with race, racism, LGBTQ+ topics, sexuality, and sexual violence are frequently targeted. Books featuring people of color are also often included in these challenges. Many of these titles had already been selected for school collections by educators and librarians, but the influence of conservative campaigns, state laws, and public opposition now significantly impacts which books are accessible to students.
Concerns about free expression grow amid expanding book bans
The scope of restrictions now extends well beyond isolated local disputes. PEN America has documented over 34,000 school book bans since 2021. The American Library Association separately counted 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, alongside 5,668 books banned from libraries and an additional 920 with access limitations. Despite differing methodologies, both organizations highlight ongoing pressure on book availability and educational resources nationwide.
The involvement of Canadian authors like Atwood and North underscores the international aspect of a dispute largely driven by U.S. state politics. Laws supported by Republicans and conservative advocacy networks have greatly influenced decisions about school library collections. Critics of broad censorship argue that restricting access to books on race, identity, sexuality, and related subjects diminishes educational opportunities. Proponents of stricter controls contend that materials should be vetted for age appropriateness. The latest figures indicate that politically motivated book restrictions now impact thousands of titles in American public schools.