On December 30, 1919, a group of men met at the home of Mr. J. Bell to discuss the possibility of establishing a school board and building a school on Skead Road. As a result of this meeting, the construction of S.S.#5 school began in 1920. By August 20th of that year, the school was furnished with 25 desks and Miss E. Corbett was hired as the school's first teacher. The school was well attended by the children of the area and by 1925, 57 students were enrolled in the one-room schoolhouse.

Throughout the years, the school continued to grow and by 1943, the building was too small for the number of children in attendance. It was decided that the school would be sold and a new two-room school built. The new school was completed in August of 1945, but on November 26th of that year, a fire caused the school to be closed for one week while repairs were made.

Throughout the coming years, the school expanded to include two more classrooms, the last of which was built in 1957.

In 1958, the school was given the name Arthur Lye Public School in honour of Mr. Arthur Lye, a prominent member of the Garson community. However, by 1972, the Sudbury Public School Board was forced to close Arthur Lye Public School due to decreasing enrollment.

Material compiled from Voices from the Past: Garson Remembers and Nickel Centre Yesterdays.