Washington, DC — U.S. public schools recorded nearly 12,000 book bans during the 2025-2026 school year, the highest annual total documented since PEN America began tracking removals in 2021.
The free-expression organization counted 11,982 bans involving 7,370 individual titles across 114 school districts. Since 2021, PEN America has documented roughly 34,000 instances of books being removed or restricted from student access.
Texas accounted for more than 8,100 bans, overtaking Florida after three years in which Florida led the country. PEN America attributes much of the Texas increase to SB 13, a state law restricting broad categories of school-library materials. Researchers also found that some districts are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to identify large numbers of books for review or removal.
Patricia McCormick’s Sold, a novel about a Nepalese teenager trafficked into sexual slavery, was the year’s most frequently banned title. Stephen King was the most frequently banned author for a second consecutive year.
Supporters of book restrictions generally argue that parents and school boards should have greater control over sexually explicit or age-inappropriate material. Free-expression advocates counter that increasingly broad restrictions remove legitimate literature dealing with subjects including racism, LGBTQ issues and sexual violence.
The figures come as parents, educators and activists continue battling over what students should be allowed to read in public schools.
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