Chronic absenteeism is most commonly defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason. Chronic absenteeism is a proven early warning sign of academic risk and school dropout. While the causes of chronic absenteeism are multifold, research shows that student health and a school's health and wellness environment are key factors that can contribute to a student being chronically absent. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes the need for schools to support the whole child and specifically acknowledges the importance of health and wellness. Given that ESSA requires states to include rate of chronic absenteeism in their report cards, ESSA presents an important opportunity to create public accountability around chronic absenteeism and ensure state ESSA plans support a comprehensive approach to address chronic absenteeism. This approach can include integrating chronic absenteeism in state accountability systems required under ESSA, ensuring needs assessments are used to identify the underlying causes of chronic absenteeism, delivering evidence-based programs that address the root causes of chronic absenteeism and ensuring school staff receive professional development on how to address chronic absenteeism in their schools. Leveraging ESSA to address chronic absenteeism is a key strategy to supporting student success. This resource is intended to supplement the document titled "State ESSA Plans to Support Student Health and Wellness: A Framework for Action" (ED617465). It is meant to help those who are particularly interested in leveraging ESSA to support efforts to address chronic absenteeism.