Anecdotally, we’re hearing more of a swing towards wanting a test score for many out of state schools that have traditionally used them. I wouldn’t assume that because few submitted during Covid years, they’re not going to want one next year. Obviously irrelevant for California schools. Someone else mentioned SAT, which I think is worth a look. I’ll also mention there are very specific strategies for the Science section of the ACT. It turns into a test on how quickly you read if you’re reading the entire passages vs looking at graphs (my kid bumped up something like 8 points on the practice test when they figured it out. If they can bump up their test score, it might help with some of the reachier schools.
Best of luck to you.