D20 settled on SLACs very early on and we visited an extensive list of them in PA/NY/NE area. I think your first hurdle is going to be deciding how much you want to focus on the Tuition Exchange program, if that is what you have. It might be worth working through those to check on how competitive they are for TE students first so you can get a sense if specific schools are realistic. DH worked for a while at a TE school and had coworkers with kids that were choosing between “better” schools or “discounts” because of the limited number of spots available. This thread has some good information. Tuition Exchange - for Class of 2025 - #2 by bgtwinmom2021
ETA: it’s not exactly “better” vs “discounts” but more that they were admitted to schools they liked better but waitlisted for TE or granted TE at schools they liked less. In the end, most ended up going to the schools they liked better without getting the TE benefit.