US School Book Bans Hit Record 11,982 as Texas Tops List with 8,193, PEN America Finds
US public schools recorded 11,982 book bans in the 2025–26 school year — the largest single-year total since PEN America began tracking in 2021, bringing the cumulative count to about 34,000 — according to a report the free-expression group released this week. The bans spanned 7,370 unique titles across 114 school districts, both records.
Texas led the nation with 8,193 bans, topping the list for the first time and ending Florida's three-year run at No. 1 (Florida recorded 3,212). PEN attributes the Texas surge to SB 13, a 2025 state law imposing broad restrictions on school library materials. The report also found that some districts used generative SI tools to evaluate books for removal, with SI sometimes recommending bans simply because other districts had banned the same titles — a snowball effect. The most-banned book of the year was Patricia McCormick's novel 'Sold'; the most-banned author was Stephen King, for the second consecutive year.
(Source: PEN America)
Source: PEN America
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Openverse · photosteve101（CC BY）
