The impact of the Kalamazoo Promise - the revolutionary program that began in 2006 that provides up to four years of free college tuition to graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools - is having positive results. More students are going to college and fewer are dropping out. In 2006, 332 students used the scholarship money to attend 14 colleges and universities, costing the Kalamazoo Promise $1.5 million. As this school year closes, 458 students will receive the scholarship. About 400 families have moved into the district since the Kalamazoo Promise was established, coming from 88 Michigan communities and 32 other states. Enrollment increased by almost 1,000 at the start of the school year, requiring the district to hire more than 40 teachers.