The United States recorded 11,982 book bans in public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, the highest annual figure since PEN America began tracking the cases in 2021.
According to the non-profit organisation’s latest report, books addressing race and racism, LGBTQ+ people or characters, people or characters of colour, and sex have consistently been among the most frequently banned over the past five years.
PEN America, headquartered in New York, advocates for freedom of expression in the United States and worldwide through literature and human rights.
Record number of titles banned
The report found that 7,370 unique titles were banned during the 2025-2026 school year, with more than 4,500 new titles added to the list compared with the previous year. The bans affected works by more than 4,000 illustrators, authors and translators.
The number of school districts carrying out book bans also reached a record high, with 114 districts named in the report.
Texas and Florida recorded the highest numbers of bans, with 8,193 and 3,212 cases respectively.
The report pointed to the convergence of special interest groups, state laws and political parties as factors contributing to restrictions on access to books.
It also noted that Texas and Florida had the most complete records of book bans, partly because grassroots organisations, including the Florida Freedom to Read Project and the Texas Freedom to Read Project, had submitted public records requests.
PEN America said political pressure across states had taken various forms, including legislation and efforts by politicians to push school districts to remove books.
These efforts included threatening letters, hearings involving school administrators and other measures that could lead to districts imposing restrictions beyond what was required.
Fiction and young adult books dominate bans
Young adult (YA) titles accounted for more than half of all books banned during the school year, continuing a trend observed in previous years. More than 80% of the banned titles were fiction.
“More than 90% of Young Adult titles banned during the 2025-2026 school year were fiction,” the report said, adding that the restrictions deprived young readers of books that could help them develop a love of reading.
AI tools increasingly involved in book reviews
The report also highlighted the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assess which books should be banned, a practice that has been observed in previous years.
PEN America raised concerns about the limitations of relying heavily on AI tools in making such decisions.
According to the report, records showed that generative AI tools and chatbots repeatedly recommended removing books not because they were obscene under the prevailing legal standard, but because other school districts had already banned them.
