Cover of Fences

Fences

by August Wilson

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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

Fences by August Wilson is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 2 curriculum references, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Fences is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 9–12
Age range
Ages 14–18
Pages
112
Reading time
about 2h 5m (est.)
First published
1985
Genre
Drama
ISBN-13
9780452264014

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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About this book

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play centers on Troy Maxson, a former Negro Leagues ballplayer turned sanitation worker whose disappointments shape every relationship in his household. As Troy clashes with his son Cory over opportunity and obligation, the play examines race, broken dreams, and the weight one generation passes to the next. Part of Wilson's ten-play Century Cycle, it is widely assigned in grades 9-12 for its language and its portrait of mid-century Black family life.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Fences→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Drama title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on father-son relationships and race; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

father-son relationships · race · family · fatherhood · ambition

Content notes

infidelity · strong language

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Fences?
Fences is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. It appears on 2 school reading lists, from grade 11 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Fences?
It takes about 2h 5m to read Fences (112 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 125 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Fences?
Fences appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Fences banned in schools?
Fences has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 4 states (FL, KS, TX, VA) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
What themes does Fences explore?
Central themes in Fences include father-son relationships, race, family, fatherhood, ambition.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records
Documented as challenged or removed in 4 states per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
Seasonal / contextual tags
No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.

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