The school building was opened for the 1979-1980 school year as the Special Education Developmental Center. The formal dedication was on March 9,1980. It housed classes for children with severe and extraordinary disabilities. In the fall of 1988 the Early Start program was added to the building. This program for at-risk preschoolers remained throughout the 1990-1991 school year.

In 1991 the building transformed into Edwin A. Lee School. "With the changing needs of special education students and the mainstreaming of many of those students, space became available in this building to accommodate a Primary population of kindergartners through fourth graders. Because of the changed role of the school, we decided it was appropriate to also change the name, and after receiving public input, the Board of Education of the Springfield Public Schools voted to rename the building for Dr. Edwin A. Lee." (Dr. Robert Hill, Superintendent of Schools). A formal rededication was held September 20, 1991 with Dr. Lee and his family in attendance.

Lee, who died in 1993 at the age of 79, weathered those humble beginnings and became a community leader who, while tirelessly healing his patients, worked to heal inequalities in everything from Springfield hospital rooms to classrooms.
— Jason Piscia, State Journal-Register