How many books were banned in US schools in 2025–2026?

PEN America counted nearly 12,000 book bans in US public schools in the 2025–2026 school year, the most it has recorded in a single year, across 114 school districts (PEN America, October 5, 2026). PEN says the real number is likely higher because many removals go unreported.

Which state banned the most books in 2025–2026?

Texas, with over 8,100 bans, followed by Florida with over 3,200, according to PEN America. PEN attributes the Texas total largely to SB 13, a 2025 state law that led many districts to remove broad categories of books. Florida had led for the previous three school years.

What was the most banned book in 2025–2026?

Sold by Patricia McCormick, with 25 bans, followed by Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (23) and Crank by Ellen Hopkins (22), per PEN America's 2025–2026 list.

How is PEN America's count different from the ALA's?

PEN America counts each time a book is removed or restricted in a school district. The American Library Association counts challenges reported to it and publishes its own yearly most-challenged list. The two use different methods, so their totals are not directly comparable.

Banned and challenged books in US schools

Titles reported as banned, removed, or formally challenged by at least one US school district in each listed state. “Banned” here is shorthand for “challenged or removed in at least one district”; no state has a universal ban on any of these titles. Scope and status vary by district and by year.

Sources: PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans and the American Library Association’s most-challenged list.

New to how book challenges work in US schools? Our editorial guide on how challenges and removals actually work walks through the formal reconsideration process, the 1982 Board of Education v. Pico legal frame, and what parents on either side of a challenge can do.

Latest count: the 2025–2026 school year

PEN America, published October 5, 2026. Read the report summary

nearly 12,000 book bans in US public schools, the most PEN America has recorded in a single school year.
114 school districts banned books, also a single-year record.
Texas had over 8,100 bans and Florida over 3,200. Florida had led for the three years before.
About 34,000 bans in total since PEN America began tracking in 2021.

Most banned books, 2025–2026

1Sold, Patricia McCormick (25 bans)
2Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson (23 bans)
3Crank, Ellen Hopkins (22 bans)
4 (tie)The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (21 bans)
4 (tie)Looking for Alaska, John Green (21 bans)
4 (tie)Kingdom of Ash, Sarah J. Maas (21 bans)
4 (tie)Identical, Ellen Hopkins (21 bans)
8 (tie)Tilt, Ellen Hopkins (20 bans)
8 (tie)The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (20 bans)
8 (tie)Glass, Ellen Hopkins (20 bans)
8 (tie)Empire of Storms, Sarah J. Maas (20 bans)
12 (tie)Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher (19 bans)
12 (tie)The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky (19 bans)
12 (tie)The Fault in Our Stars, John Green (19 bans)
12 (tie)Fallout, Ellen Hopkins (19 bans)

Source: PEN America, Banned Books List 2026. Linked titles have a page here with the grades and reading level they are assigned at.

Quick answers

How many books were banned in US schools in 2025–2026?: PEN America counted nearly 12,000 book bans in US public schools in the 2025–2026 school year, the most it has recorded in a single year, across 114 school districts (PEN America, October 5, 2026). PEN says the real number is likely higher because many removals go unreported.
Which state banned the most books in 2025–2026?: Texas, with over 8,100 bans, followed by Florida with over 3,200, according to PEN America. PEN attributes the Texas total largely to SB 13, a 2025 state law that led many districts to remove broad categories of books. Florida had led for the previous three school years.
What was the most banned book in 2025–2026?: Sold by Patricia McCormick, with 25 bans, followed by Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (23) and Crank by Ellen Hopkins (22), per PEN America's 2025–2026 list.
How is PEN America's count different from the ALA's?: PEN America counts each time a book is removed or restricted in a school district. The American Library Association counts challenges reported to it and publishes its own yearly most-challenged list. The two use different methods, so their totals are not directly comparable.

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