UNITED STATES / RankWire.AI / – PEN America reported that U.S. school book bans impacted Canadian authors Margaret Atwood and Ryan North during an unprecedented year for removals. During the 2025-26 school year, PEN America recorded 11,982 bans, marking its highest annual total since the organization began tracking in 2021. The report indicates that 7,370 unique titles across 114 districts were affected. Over 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators had their works restricted, illustrating the expanding scope of school censorship.
The index continued to list Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale among the most frequently challenged books. North’s Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure was listed for the first time. More than half of the banned titles were young-adult literature. Fiction books accounted for over 80% of the total bans recorded. Additionally, more than 4,500 titles appeared in the index for the first time, broadening the range of literature barred from student access.
The vast majority of bans were concentrated in Republican-led states, with Texas and Florida leading the way. Texas registered over 8,100 bans, while Florida recorded 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. It also established statewide standards to limit materials deemed harmful, indecent, profane, or age-inappropriate, with supporters describing these measures as parental-control and child-protection policies.
Conservative politics drive the censorship efforts
Data indicates that the movement to ban books is primarily driven by organized conservative groups rather than individual parental complaints. Organizations such as Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education have led campaigns for removals. Earlier research by PEN America characterized these groups as advocating strongly conservative values. The American Library Association reported that 92% of book challenges in 2025 originated from pressure groups, government officials, and decision-makers, whereas fewer than 3% came directly from individual parents.
This disproportion has fueled criticism that right-wing campaigns are narrowing the range of reading materials available to students in public schools. PEN America highlights that bans mainly target books related to race, racism, LGBTQ+ issues, people of color, sexuality, and sexual violence. Many of these titles had been previously selected by educators and librarians for school collections before facing challenges. The organization also documented legislative measures, official hearings, and demands for removals that exert political pressure. These mechanisms often turn ideological disputes over specific books into broader restrictions impacting entire school systems.
Widespread removals raise concerns over free expression
The national scope of book bans now extends well beyond local conflicts. Since 2021, PEN America has documented over 34,000 school book bans. The American Library Association separately identified 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, along with 5,668 books banned from libraries and 920 facing access restrictions. Despite differing methodologies, both organizations report censorship at record-high levels, with evidence pointing to organized groups and governmental actions central to many of these removals.
The latest figures involving Atwood and North add a Canadian dimension to the ongoing debate, but the core issue remains rooted in U.S. education politics. Policies backed by Republicans and conservative advocacy networks have reshaped decision-making previously managed by local educators and librarians. Free-expression advocates argue that these restrictions limit access to literature, especially works exploring identity, race, and sexuality. Proponents contend that schools must ensure materials are appropriate for students’ age. These record-breaking totals underscore that political battles are now directly influencing access to thousands of books in U.S. public schools.