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Hillsborough County Public Schools

585 titles banned · Florida

Banned Books

10 Things I Can See From Here 10 Things I Can See From Here 1922 1922 1984: The Graphic Novel 1984: The Graphic Novel 21 Proms 21 Proms 33 Snowfish 33 Snowfish 37 Things I Love (in No Particular Order) 37 Things I Love (in No Particular Order) A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl A Certain Slant of Light A Certain Slant of Light A Clash of Kings A Clash of Kings A Clockwork Orange A Clockwork Orange A Complicated Love Story Set in Space A Complicated Love Story Set in Space A Court of Frost and Starlight A Court of Frost and Starlight A Court of Mist and Fury A Court of Mist and Fury A Court of Silver Flames A Court of Silver Flames A Court of Thorns and Roses A Court of Thorns and Roses A Court of Wings and Ruin A Court of Wings and Ruin A Curse of Roses A Curse of Roses A Day No Pigs Would Die A Day No Pigs Would Die A Feast for Crows A Feast for Crows A Girl Like That A Girl Like That A Good Idea A Good Idea A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities A Sin Such as This A Sin Such as This A Sitting in St. James A Sitting in St. James A Stolen Life A Stolen Life A Yellow Raft in Blue Water A Yellow Raft in Blue Water Ace of Spades Ace of Spades After After After Ever Happy After Ever Happy After the Game After the Game All American Boys All American Boys All Boys Aren't Blue All Boys Aren't Blue All the Bright Places All the Bright Places All the Things We Do in the Dark All the Things We Do in the Dark Allegedly Allegedly Almost Perfect Almost Perfect Americanah Americanah Anatomy of a Single Girl Anatomy of a Single Girl Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging Ask the Passengers Ask the Passengers Bag of Bones Bag of Bones Beautiful Beautiful Before I Die Before I Die Beloved Beloved Beyond Magenta Beyond Magenta Billy Summers Billy Summers Blood Water Paint Blood Water Paint

About Hillsborough County Public Schools

Hillsborough County Public Schools is the public school system serving Hillsborough County, Florida, which contains the city of Tampa. With approximately 225,000 students, it is the eighth-largest school district in the United States by enrollment and the third-largest in Florida. The district operates more than 250 schools across Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, and the unincorporated communities of Hillsborough County. Tampa is a major metropolitan center with a diverse population, a significant military presence at MacDill Air Force Base, and a growing technology and finance sector.

Hillsborough County Public Schools manages a highly varied school portfolio, from schools serving the urban core of Tampa to suburban campuses in Brandon, Riverview, and Valrico. The district has extensive magnet and specialty programs, including performing arts, science and technology, and International Baccalaureate offerings.

Books in Schools

Beginning in 2022, Hillsborough County Public Schools became subject to the same statewide compliance pressures that produced large-scale book removals across Florida. Florida’s House Bill 1467 required that every school library book be reviewed by a certified media specialist before it could circulate, and in a district as large as Hillsborough, the resulting backlog was particularly acute. Hundreds of titles were pulled from shelves or otherwise restricted while awaiting review.

Hillsborough also saw targeted challenges to specific books as parent advocacy groups organized at the school and district level. Books addressing LGBTQ+ themes, race, reproductive health, and historical atrocity were among those most frequently challenged. The district’s size meant that even modest compliance efforts produced a large absolute number of restricted titles. Tracking data compiled by advocacy organizations placed Hillsborough among the leading Florida districts for documented book restrictions during the 2022–24 school years.

This district's book removals have drawn news coverage — see reporting from Bay News 9 for more.