@NewEngParent First off to be clear I am trying to relay information I heard. I will not opine on how admissions officers may view a particular situation (which of course can vary from college to college, from admission officer to admission officer). I agree with the above – that the applicant must make decisions that appear reasonable for his/her situation and must then be responsible for any ramifications of those decisions.
But as clarification, the example given by the admissions officer I heard speak was that the school did not want to penalize a student who lived in a rural area where no SAT II exams were available within a multi-hour drive. So I don’t think it is all about what tests are given in the particular HS, it is more about what is accessible in the area. (As one example – if a student is at a small private HS that does not administer the SAT II but the local public HS does then I don’t expect that would be a valid reason for not taking them.)