Sharpstown International School (SIS) is among the top 10 best public high schools in the Houston area, according to new rankings by the Children At Risk non-profit organization, and is in the top 50 best in Texas.

The Houston Independent School District international studies magnet school is located in the Southwest Management District between Bellaire Boulevard and Beechnut Street, just east of S. Gessner Road.

With a total enrollment of about 1,300 students, SIS teaches classes in grades 6 through 12, which are all enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Programme.

IB says it “aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

SIS’s student body is 98 percent ethnic minorities.

Its curriculum focuses on having students “learn about varied cultures, learn to speak different languages, and learn to use technologies important in our global society.”

Children At Risk ranks public schools annually as part of its mission to serve “as a catalyst for change to improve the quality of life for children through strategic research, public policy analysis, education, collaboration, and advocacy.”

Its school rankings take into account “school performance, student growth, college readiness” and other categories.