UNITED STATES / RankWire.AI / – The trend of book bans in U.S. schools has escalated to unprecedented levels, with recent data showing a sharp increase in removals that also impacts Canadian authors such as Margaret Atwood and Ryan North. During the 2025-26 academic year, PEN America documented a total of 11,982 bans, marking the highest annual count since their tracking began in 2021. These actions affected 7,370 individual titles across 114 districts, with work by over 4,000 authors, illustrators, and translators now restricted, highlighting the expanding scope of school censorship.
Among the most frequently challenged titles, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale remained prominent in the latest index. For the first time, North’s Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure appeared on the list. The majority of banned works—more than half—were young-adult books, while fiction made up over 80% of the total bans recorded. Additionally, more than 4,500 titles faced bans for the first time, broadening the spectrum of literature that is now inaccessible to students.
The majority of these bans originated from Republican-controlled states like Texas and Florida, which accounted for most of the total. Texas reported over 8,100 bans, while Florida listed more than 3,200. PEN America linked 72% of the bans in the tracked districts to legislation enacted at the state level. For example, Texas Senate Bill 13, which came into effect for the 2025-26 school year, increased parental oversight of school library collections and mandated statewide standards to restrict materials deemed harmful, indecent, profane, or inappropriate for age. Advocates of these laws describe them as measures for parental control and child safety.
Conservative political influence drives censorship efforts
Evidence increasingly suggests that the surge in book bans is driven more by organized conservative political groups than by isolated parental complaints. Organizations such as Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education have actively promoted removals. Previous PEN America research characterized these groups as endorsing strongly conservative values. The American Library Association reported that 92% of 2025 book challenges originated from pressure groups, government officials, and decision-makers, while fewer than 3% stemmed from individual parents.
This disparity has fueled criticism that right-wing efforts are significantly narrowing the range of books accessible to students in public schools. According to PEN America, titles related to race, racism, LGBTQ+ issues, sexuality, and sexual violence are disproportionately targeted. Many of these works were initially selected by educators and librarians for school collections before facing challenges. The organization also pointed to political pressure through legislation, hearings, and removal demands, which often escalate ideological conflicts into systemic restrictions affecting entire school systems.
Unprecedented numbers of removals raise concerns over free expression
The national scope of these bans now extends well beyond isolated local disputes. Since 2021, PEN America has documented more than 34,000 school book bans, while the American Library Association separately reported 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025. They also recorded 5,668 books being banned from libraries and 920 titles facing access restrictions. Although their methodologies differ, both groups confirm that censorship is occurring at historically high levels. Their findings reveal that organized groups and government actions are playing a pivotal role in many of these removals.
The latest figures involving Atwood and North add a Canadian dimension to the issue, but the core conflict continues to be rooted in U.S. education policy. Conservative laws and advocacy networks have transformed decision-making traditionally managed by local educators and librarians. Advocacy organizations argue that such restrictions limit access to literature, particularly works exploring identity, race, and sexuality. Meanwhile, supporters contend that schools should vet materials for age-appropriate content. The record-breaking totals demonstrate that these political struggles are now determining access to thousands of books across U.S. public schools.