UNITED STATES / RankWire.AI / – During the 2025-26 school year, U.S. school book bans impacted Canadian authors Margaret Atwood and Ryan North, marking a year with the highest removal counts on record. PEN America reported a total of 11,982 bans, the largest annual figure since their tracking began in 2021. The organization identified 7,370 distinct titles across 114 districts. Over 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators faced restrictions, highlighting the expanding scope of school censorship.
The novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Atwood remained among the most frequently targeted books in the latest index. Meanwhile, North’s Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure appeared on the list for the first time. More than half of the banned titles were young-adult books. Fiction titles made up over 80% of all recorded bans. Additionally, over 4,500 titles were listed for the first time, broadening the variety of literature removed from student access.
The majority of bans were concentrated in Texas and Florida, both led by Republican officials. Texas recorded over 8,100 bans, while Florida had more than 3,200. PEN America linked bans in 72% of the districts monitored to state legislation. For example, Texas Senate Bill 13, which took effect for the 2025-26 school year, increased parental oversight of school library collections and mandated statewide standards that restrict materials deemed harmful, indecent, profane, or age-inappropriate. Proponents describe these policies as efforts to enhance parental control and protect children.
Conservative political influences drive the censorship trend
The broader data indicates that the censorship movement is mainly linked to conservative political activism rather than isolated parental complaints. Organizations such as Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education have actively promoted book removals. PEN America’s earlier research identified these groups as advocating strongly conservative values. The American Library Association found that 92% of book challenges in 2025 originated from pressure groups, government officials, and decision-makers, with fewer than 3% stemming from individual parents.
This disproportion has intensified criticism that right-wing efforts are narrowing the range of reading options available to students in public schools. PEN America emphasizes that bans predominantly target books related to race, racism, LGBTQ+ topics, people of color, sexuality, and sexual violence. Many of these works had previously been selected by educators and librarians for school collections before facing challenges. The organization also documented how legislative measures, official hearings, and removal demands are used to exert political pressure, turning ideological conflicts over individual titles into broader restrictions affecting entire school systems.
Unprecedented removals raise concerns over free expression
The scope of censorship now extends well beyond isolated local disputes, reaching a national level. Since 2021, PEN America has recorded more than 34,000 school book bans. The American Library Association’s separate data showed 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, along with 5,668 books banned from libraries and 920 facing access restrictions. While their methodologies differ, both groups reveal a historically high level of censorship. Their findings highlight the role of organized groups and government actions in many of these removals.
The presence of Atwood and North in these figures adds a Canadian dimension to the ongoing controversy, but the core conflict remains rooted in U.S. education politics. Policies supported by Republicans and conservative advocacy networks have shifted decision-making away from local educators and librarians. Free-expression advocates argue that these restrictions limit access to important literature, especially works exploring identity, race, and sexuality. Supporters, however, contend that schools need to vet materials for age appropriateness. The record-high numbers illustrate that these political struggles now influence access to thousands of books in American public schools.