This water safety study was both descriptive and exploratory in nature. The purpose was for middle school students to assess their own water safety experiences and to help school decision-makers determine the extent of drowning/water accidents. In July 2009, a water safety survey was administered to 122 students participating in the local Summer Connection Program for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students, which included children of migrant families as well as economically and educationally disadvantaged students. Chi-square analyses found that Hispanics were less likely than either Whites or Others to have worn personal flotation device (p less than or equal to 0.001), low ability swimmers were less likely to wear a personal flotation device, Hispanics were less likely to swim in ponds, health problems were a barrier to swimming for all ethnicities except Whites, more ninth graders had friends who enjoyed swimming, and more females felt their nearest pool was in good condition (p less than or equal to 0.05). Schools and other community resources need to work together and educate more children ages 1-14 to improve water safety awareness. Drowning rates are higher among minorities, which may be related to a lack of water safety education and awareness. Future research should continue to examine causes of drowning for K-12 students. (Contains 3 tables.)