UNITED STATES / RankWire.AI / – The latest data reveals that U.S. school book bans reached almost 12,000 during the 2025-26 school year, setting a new annual record. PEN America documented a total of 11,982 bans, marking the highest yearly figure since the organization began tracking in 2021. These bans affected 7,370 distinct titles across 114 districts, with over 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators facing restrictions, illustrating the growing scope of school censorship.
Among the most frequently challenged books was Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, while Ryan North’s Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure was listed for the first time. Young adult literature represented more than half of the banned titles, and fiction made up over 80% of all bans recorded. Additionally, over 4,500 titles appeared on the banned list for the first time, broadening the variety of literature unavailable to students.
The majority of these bans were concentrated in Texas and Florida, states led by Republican administrations. Texas reported over 8,100 bans, while Florida saw more than 3,200. PEN America connected bans in 72% of the districts tracked to legislative actions. For instance, Texas Senate Bill 13, which took effect for the 2025-26 school year, increased parental oversight of school library collections, alongside establishing statewide standards that restrict materials deemed harmful, indecent, profane, or inappropriate for age. Advocates of these policies describe them as efforts to enhance parental control and child protection.
Conservative political influence drives the censorship effort
Data indicates that the censorship movement is heavily linked to organized conservative political groups rather than isolated parental complaints. Organizations such as Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education have actively promoted book removals. Earlier PEN America research characterized these groups as holding strongly conservative values. The American Library Association noted that 92% of book challenges in 2025 originated from pressure groups, government officials, and decision-makers, with fewer than 3% coming directly from individual parents.
This imbalance has fueled criticism that right-wing campaigns are limiting what students can access in public schools. PEN America highlights that bans tend to target books dealing with race, racism, LGBTQ+ issues, people of color, sexuality, and sexual violence. Many of these works had been previously selected by educators and librarians for school collections before facing challenges. The organization also reports that political pressure manifests through legislation, official hearings, and removal demands, transforming ideological disputes over individual titles into broader restrictions impacting entire school systems.
The surge in book bans raises concerns over free expression
The scale of bans now extends well beyond isolated incidents, with national implications. Since 2021, PEN America has recorded over 34,000 school book bans, while the American Library Association separately tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025. They also reported 5,668 books banned from libraries and 920 facing restricted access. Despite differing methodologies, both groups confirm a record high level of censorship, with organized efforts and government actions playing a key role in many removals.
The recent figures involving Atwood and North introduce a Canadian element to the issue, yet the core controversy remains rooted in U.S. education politics. Laws supported by Republicans and conservative advocacy networks have shifted decision-making authority away from local educators and librarians. Free-expression advocates warn that these restrictions hinder access to literature addressing identity, race, and sexuality. Proponents argue that materials must be appropriate for students’ age levels. The record-breaking totals underscore that political conflicts now shape access to thousands of books in U.S. public schools.