UNITED STATES / RankWire.AI / – According to PEN America, nearly 12,000 book bans were recorded in U.S. public schools during the 2025-26 academic year. The total number of incidents reached 11,982 across 114 school districts, involving a total of 7,370 distinct titles. Over 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators faced restrictions on their work, including well-known Canadian writers Margaret Atwood and Ryan North. These figures represent the highest annual total since PEN America began monitoring school book bans in 2021.
Among the books removed from access in schools, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale appeared once again. North’s Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure was added to the index for the first time. Titles aimed at young adults accounted for more than half of all banned books, with fiction making up over 80% of all cases documented. Additionally, over 4,500 new titles appeared in the index, further broadening the scope of literature affected by school censorship conflicts.
The majority of the bans were concentrated in Texas and Florida. Texas reported more than 8,100 cases, while Florida recorded over 3,200. PEN America indicated that legislation enacted in these states influenced bans in 72% of the districts it examined. During the 2025-26 school year, Texas Senate Bill 13 expanded parental oversight of school library selections. The legislation also established statewide guidelines to regulate materials deemed harmful, indecent, profane, or inappropriate for minors.
Conservative Organizations Are Leading Many Challenges
Organized conservative groups have played a significant role in efforts to challenge and remove books from public school libraries. Organizations such as Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education have actively supported these efforts. PEN America has identified these groups as being involved in conservative political activism. Data from national sources reveal that 92% of the 2025 book challenges stemmed from pressure groups, government officials, and institutional decision-makers. Parents acting individually contributed to fewer than 3% of the reported challenges.
These statistics have intensified ongoing debates over the influence of political campaigns on access to school literature. PEN America emphasizes that many restrictions target books related to race, racism, LGBTQ+ issues, sexuality, and sexual violence. Literature featuring people of color also frequently appears in the organization’s records. Many of the titles targeted had already been selected by educators and librarians for inclusion in school collections. However, laws, public hearings, and organized challenges have increasingly dictated which books remain accessible to students.
Concerns About Free Expression Rise as Bans Reach Historic Levels
The extent of these restrictions now extends well beyond isolated school conflicts. PEN America has documented over 34,000 school book bans since 2021. The American Library Association separately reported that during 2025, 4,235 unique titles were challenged, with 5,668 books banned from libraries and an additional 920 facing access restrictions. Although these organizations employ different tracking methods, both highlight an extraordinary surge in pressure on the availability of books and educational resources.
The involvement of Canadian authors like Atwood and North introduces an international element to a dispute primarily centered on U.S. education policy. Laws backed by Republicans and conservative advocacy groups have taken a leading role in decisions regarding school library holdings. Free-expression advocates argue that the widespread removal of books diminishes access to literature addressing race, identity, sexuality, and other sensitive topics. Those supporting restrictions contend that schools must protect minors from inappropriate content. The latest data reveal that this ongoing conflict now impacts thousands of books across the nation.