According to a recent study by PEN America, the number of school book bans has reached a record high. The organization reports that there were 11,982 instances of book removals during the 2025-26 school year, a sharp rise from the 6,870 removals documented in the previous year. Of the total instances, 7,370 unique titles were removed from classrooms or school libraries.

PEN America, which advocates for free expression, characterizes these actions as "bans." The report highlights a growing trend in the restriction of educational materials, though the data focuses primarily on the volume of removals rather than the specific criteria used by individual school districts to justify these decisions. While the report provides a quantitative look at the scale of the issue, it does not detail the specific content of the books removed or the arguments presented by school boards or parent groups who advocate for these restrictions. Consequently, the report serves as a statistical overview of the current landscape regarding school library and classroom content management.