The Study of Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) is an international effort led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Houston Independent School District (HISD) served as the only U.S. site for this study. Over 3,000 15-year-old students from 45 HISD campuses participated in the SSES in the fall of 2019. This brief examines whether and how social and emotional skills were connected to chronic absenteeism. Social and emotional (SE) skills refer to the process by which children acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions (OECD 2015). SE skills can lead to improved outcomes in education, employment, health, and well-being (Kankaraš & Suarez-Alvarez 2019). In 15-year-old students, those who self-reported higher levels of cooperation, emotional control, or energy were less likely to display chronic absenteeism, whereas students who self-reported higher levels of assertiveness and self-control were more likely to display chronic absenteeism. [For Brief 2 in this series, see ED626834.]