The Buffy episode in which Buffy receives the Class Protector award is “The Prom.”
The award is presented during Sunnydale High’s senior prom in season 3, episode 20. Jonathan Levinson announces that the graduating class recognizes Buffy for protecting them from the supernatural dangers surrounding the school. The students note that her efforts helped produce the class’s unusually low mortality rate.
The moment is significant because Buffy often feels isolated from ordinary teenage life and rarely receives open acknowledgment for her Slayer responsibilities. Instead of treating her as strange or dangerous, her classmates publicly thank her with a handmade umbrella trophy and a standing ovation.
“The Prom” is also remembered for the Hellhounds that threaten the dance and for Buffy and Angel confronting the impossibility of their relationship. “Graduation Day” is a common wrong choice because it follows the prom chronologically and contains the climactic battle with the Mayor, but the award belongs specifically to “The Prom.”