Record Book Bans

School book removals reach record high with nearly 12,000 bans nationwide

School book bans have hit a record high, with nearly 12,000 removals in 2025-2026, according to a report from PEN America. The group found that 11,982 books were banned in that year, a significant increase from 6,870 the previous year. The most-banned categories were the young adult section and fiction section. The majority of these removations were from Texas and Florida, where PEN says political pressure has been high. The use of AI to remove books from classrooms has also increased, with instances where AI only recommended a book removal due to another district removing another book. The report also found that new titles were added to the banned books list this year.

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