UNITED STATES / RankWire.AI / – According to PEN America, U.S. public schools implemented 11,982 book bans during the 2025-26 academic year, marking a new peak since the organization started monitoring restrictions in 2021. These bans affected 7,370 distinct titles across 114 school districts. The records include over 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators. Notably, Canadian writers Margaret Atwood and Ryan North were among those impacted by the expanding wave of removals.
Among the titles caught in censorship disputes was Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. North’s Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure was added to PEN America’s index for the first time. Over half of the banned books were young-adult titles, with fiction comprising more than 80% of all affected works. The index also recorded over 4,500 titles for the first time, illustrating how widespread these restrictions have become.
Texas and Florida led the national totals. Texas reported more than 8,100 bans, while Florida recorded over 3,200. PEN America pointed out that legislation from these states influenced bans in 72% of the districts it examined. During the 2025-26 school year, Texas Senate Bill 13 increased parental authority over school library content and established statewide regulations for materials deemed harmful, indecent, profane, or inappropriate for minors.
Conservative groups intensify efforts to influence school curricula
Organizations aligned with conservative values have become key players in numerous campaigns against school books. Groups like Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education have supported removal efforts across multiple states. PEN America has linked these organizations to organized conservative activism targeting education. Data from 2025 shows that 92% of reported book challenges stemmed from pressure by advocacy groups, government officials, and institutional decision-makers. In contrast, individual parents contributed fewer than 3%, challenging claims that the recent surge mainly results from isolated family objections.
Patterns emerge in the types of books targeted. PEN America reports that restrictions often impact titles related to race, racism, LGBTQ+ topics, sexuality, and sexual violence. Books featuring people of color are frequently included in these challenges. Many of these works had already been chosen by educators and librarians for school collections, but conservative campaigns, new laws, and public protests now exert more influence over which titles remain accessible to students.
Book bans raise ongoing concerns over free expression
The extent of these restrictions extends far beyond isolated local conflicts. Since 2021, PEN America has documented over 34,000 school book bans nationwide. The American Library Association separately reported 4,235 unique titles challenged during 2025. They also recorded 5,668 books banned from libraries and an additional 920 facing restricted access. Despite differences in methodology, both organizations highlight persistent pressures against book availability and educational resources across the country.
While Atwood and North are Canadian authors, their inclusion reflects a dispute mainly driven by U.S. state-level politics. Laws supported by Republicans and organized conservative advocacy groups have significantly influenced decisions about school library collections. Free-expression advocates warn that widespread removals limit access to books addressing race, identity, sexuality, and other sensitive issues. Proponents of stricter controls argue that schools need to evaluate materials for age appropriateness. The latest figures demonstrate that politically motivated book restrictions now affect thousands of titles in American public schools.