In the United States, 10 percent of students are chronically absent. Often, chronic absence results when a student faces a health issue or challenging family circumstances. A student’s neighborhood also has an effect, and students living in poorer neighborhoods generally have more trouble in school and experience higher rates of chronic absence. This brief discusses recent work by members of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership in Pinellas County, Florida, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to understand the effects of neighborhood and individual characteristics on chronic absenteeism.