PEN America counted a record 11,982 school book bans in 2025-26, more than 8,100 of them in Texas
The removals hit 7,370 different titles in 114 districts; Stephen King was the most-pulled author for the second straight year.
PEN America, a free-speech group that tracks school book removals, counted 11,982 bans in U.S. public schools in the 2025-26 school year, up from 6,870 the year before. Texas led every state after its new law, SB 13, took effect.
How the yearly count climbed:
- 2021-22: 2,532 bans
- 2022-23: 3,362 bans
- 2023-24: 10,046 bans, the old record