Students from across North Carolina met face to face with state lawmakers and urged them to make greater investments in public education and listen to their experiences.
More than 800 Cumberland County teachers and staff are expected to join a statewide walkout in Raleigh on Friday.
Organizers on Wednesday described the situation as a "crisis."
The NC Supreme Court tossed a 2022 ruling that let judges order hundreds of millions in school funding, ending a 32-year case.
President Donald Trump's administration had cut off $790 million in grants in a standoff that contributed to university layoffs and the resignation in September of Northwestern president Michael Schill.
Centers across the country serving at least 8,000 families were closed Monday, according to the National Head Start Association.