The majority of children will not be eligible.
I don’t have the numbers but find this hard to believe. In most of the country schools are located in the residential neighborhoods they serve but in Lakewood many schools are located in industrial zones or other municipalities.
And many of those who are will have intolerably long rides,
I don’t believe that either. What makes bus rides long is the number of stops, not the distance traveled. Even with reduced bussing, Lakewood will still have much more eligible students per square mile than the national average.