Apply to nearby public elementary school that is rated higher than our zoned school?

Our zoned school isn’t the best. A lot of the schools in our area are under capacity and we can apply to enroll to other schools if space is available. There is a “good” school 10 minutes from us (4 minutes further than our zoned school). While still very close, I worry about having neighborhood friends. There’s no guarantee that if we go with our zoned school that we’ll have friends in the neighborhood. We as adults only know one elderly lady that lives next door. Also, do school ratings even mean anything? What makes a good public school?