Texas and Florida account for most of the 12,000 school book bans last year.
PEN America recorded its highest annual total of public school book bans in the 2025–2026 school year, surpassing every year since the organization began tracking them in 2021.
Those bans affected more than 7,300 different titles. The distinction matters: the same book can be counted more than once when multiple districts restrict it.
More than 4,500 titles entered the organization’s index for the first time, another record. New additions included Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
Stephen King was the most banned author, with 312 recorded bans. Young adult author Ellen Hopkins followed with 234.
Texas and Florida accounted for the vast majority of recorded bans. They also have more complete records, partly because local groups have obtained information through public records requests.
PEN America uses “book ban” to cover several kinds of content-based restrictions. These include removing books from libraries or classrooms, making them unavailable during reviews, and limiting access through measures such as parental permission or grade-level restrictions. The total does not mean every book was permanently removed.
The report also raises concerns about schools using artificial intelligence to review their collections. PEN America says these tools can take passages out of context and recommend removing books because other districts have already restricted them.
Books dealing with racism, LGBTQ+ issues and sexuality remain frequent targets, according to the organization.
PEN America says its figures are an undercount because restrictions often go unreported or are difficult to document. Even with those gaps, the latest school year produced the largest total in its five years of tracking.
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"Schools banned nearly 12,000 books in 2025-2026, report says." USA Today
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Jayne Eyre was required reading when I was in school - fact is, it was more than just "required reading" - it was one of the books we studied in detail in class.
Have to say that I'd never heard of the other new addition mentioned here. "Lessons in Chemistry" is available on Amazon.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was banned. It’s a book that follows a chemist who experiences sexism in the workplace. After becoming a single mother and a cooking-show host, she teaches science while encouraging women to challenge society’s expectations.
Apparently, this book was banned because women should know their place in society and not question things so the patriarchy can live on.
Jane Eyre, an 1847 novel about an orphan who refuses to sacrifice her independence and self-respect for love, was banned.
It seems like a woman’s independence and self-respect are too much for some Republicans. No wonder they’re pushing wife schools.
