A new report by PEN America reveals that more than 4,200 book titles were banned in U.S. schools during the 2023-24 academic year, marking a rising trend in educational censorship. According to Banned in the USA: Beyond the Shelves, there were a total of 10,046 instances of book bans across school districts nationwide, impacting 4,231 individual titles.

Florida and Iowa were at the top of the list, with Florida seeing over 4,500 book bans and Iowa following closely with more than 3,600. In California, only two book bans were recorded, both in the Escondido Union School District. The banned books were This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson and Looking for Alaska by John Green.

The report suggests that these bans are part of a broader, ongoing trend of educational censorship that has escalated since 2021. PEN America warns that these efforts to restrict certain materials in schools and libraries reflect a growing movement to suppress discussions about race, LGBTQ+ issues, and sexual health. The organization describes the bans as a concerted campaign to “suppress education about certain viewpoints, identities, and histories,” which it says are being undermined by falsehoods, fear, and political agendas.

Most of the books banned last year were aimed at young adult readers, with 60% of the affected titles addressing themes like mental health, substance abuse, suicide, death, and sexual violence—issues many teenagers may personally confront. Notably, 57% of the banned books featured sexual themes or depictions, while 55% included LGBTQ+ characters or characters of color.

PEN America’s report underscores that these bans are part of a broader effort to limit the range of ideas and voices accessible to students. “These efforts are reshaping American public education,” the authors state, “and are having a chilling effect on the freedom to explore diverse perspectives and histories in the classroom.”