PEN America released a report documenting nearly 12,000 book bans in U.S. public schools over the past year. Texas accounted for more than 8,100 bans, roughly three-fourths of the nationwide total.
Where
Statewide
When
2025-2026 school year
Sources
Reported by 9 outlets
Taxes and money
None stated in sources.
Who's involved
PEN Americaorganization that released the report
Stephen Kingauthor whose works were most frequently banned
The facts
PEN America documented nearly 12,000 book bans in U.S. schools over the past year.123Stated by 3 sources
Texas accounted for more than 8,100 bans, roughly three-fourths of the nationwide total.3
Florida had over 3,200 bans, the second-most of any state.3
11,982 cases of bans affected 7,370 individual works total.12Stated by 2 sources
Stephen King's works were pulled 312 times, the most of any author.12Stated by 2 sources
Texas book bans resulted from SB 13, a state law passed in 2025.3
Texas school officials used artificial intelligence to create a recommended list of banned books.3
Race, racism, sexuality, and gender identity remain the most common reasons books are challenged.12Stated by 2 sources
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
PEN America AI recommended banning books that were banned elsewhere, creating a snowball effect.3
Kasey Meehan, PEN America Banning popular YA titles is harmful given declining reading rates nationwide.3
Philomena Polefrone, PEN America Book bans result from chilling directives from state politicians creating chaos and fear.3
Where the sources disagree
Author name in most-banned title Patrick McCormick per [1]; Patricia McCormick per [2, 3]
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
PEN America: Nearly 12,000 school book bans in a year, a record high
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
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